I read something on the James Hong blog that went something like this: as we climb out of this recession, China is going to return to a higher rate of growth. That means fuel prices will rise, and it will be driven by China, not the US. This will feel, to us, like gas prices are too high. (To Chinese, it won't feel so bad, because their incomes will be rising faster than ours, due to growth.)
So, destroying some SUVs may turn out to be a good decision, because it'll free up money for something besides fuel. Foreign growth will hurt less.
The whole issue of carbon emissions is just a way to tap into some "end of the world" sentiment. While I share the sentiment, driving a more efficient car isn't going to fix anything. We need to explore more radical ideas like commuting by bus or train, bicycle, or working only 4 days a week.
I see most of the benefits of this subsidy being the immediate jolt to the economy, to slow the growing unemployment. Secondarily, it might help our economy in the future, because it reduces our fuel expenses.
Many people hear about incentives such as these and justify adding new debt (even people that are paying off debt. I actually had to recently talk someone out of getting involved with this.
For those new to Eurogames, a lot of these games can be had on Amazon, but I also always check http://www.boardgameprices.com
My favorite on your list is "Power Grid" -- I like the supply/demand mechanism. I also hear "Container" is a very good (some say best) economic game, but I've yet to play it.
I'm not junking my 1990 Honda Wagon with 20-25mpg, over 50kmiles left on the engine that I only use for needed trips and mix with public buses. ALL PAID FOR and cost me $500 bucks to boot and then invested another thou to replace upgrade the starter/alternator electrics, muffler and some brakes. My insurance is less than $200 for 6mos and registration/plates $25. Spend less than $40 mos on gas.
Until the first fully electric car comes out $15-20k and can go over 300mi per charge, getting a hybrid now I'm not saving the environment nor helping with the carbon foot print issue but just putting myself into debt and beholden to a bank for a loan and helping the car companies. At that I'd rather get a used electric car in another 5-6yrs to be even more frugal/cheap.
Not following how this is making our nation more secure. Anyway, they are still making SUV's, so for every one traded in with this program if those people turned around and bought one with say a rating of 21 instead of 18, not much will change on our roads. People who have the SUV type vehicles do not tend to downsize. We have a Saturn that gets 34 mpg, but we also have a truck that my husband needs for work, and to haul our boat, we have a GMC truck that gets 21 mpg.
Gasworks does have an awesome view and is popular to bring your sig. other to for blanket fun on the hill (although for some reason the cops have been cruizing the park lately kicking out everyone by 11pm thank you Mayor Nickles)
Golden Gardens located in Ballard, a little ways past the locks, it's great for bonfires at night for spotting hotties by day.
On Capital Hill next to Volunteer park you'll find the cemetary. Here you can takes pics of Bruce and Brandon Lee's graves as well as a few other celebrities (I don't know off hand which others as these 2 were the only ones I was interested in)
If you like Biking there is the Burke-Gilman Trail which runs from Redmond to Ballard or go off-road in Discovery Park, located in Magnolia.
I agree with all these suggestions. Why get a 3500 rebate if you can save 10,000 by driving a newer used car rather than a brand new one? Doesn't make any sense to me.
I have checked with the Gulf Stations which honor the Shaws Gas Reward Program, but I never get the reward at the pump even when I swipe my Shaw's card as directed.
Today I was gypped again. Bought over $100 worth of groceries on July 24th, two weeks ago today. Checked on line to see my credit. It said I was eligible for 20¢ gallon credit as of today (August 7th), but also said my credit expired August 7th. If so, then the credit is good for only 13 days, not two weeks. I think the program may be deceptive, if not a fraud.
"Sell your Twitter account, lose weight and save money, learn to network (really, it helps), clear up your life in 5 minutes, couchsurf around the world, and more."
After reading this post I lost 25 pounds, became financially independent, and bought six houses with no money down! =)
I am surrounded by people who, I am convinced, are being ripped off by their lawn companies; they are in here at least three days a week with a tractor mower (for a lawn so small it can barely turn around), leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, etc. They arrive at 7:30 in the morning, waking up those of us who are trying to have a vacation, and they go all day.
Today I mowed my lawn in less than 20 minutes, without breaking a sweat or annoying my neighbors, with my reel mower. It really is the way to go, especially for small lawns.
Kyle5434, I suggest you rake your lawn before mowing. That will get all the sticks up.
In terms of making our skies cleaner, not so much.
An AP story yesterday estimated that the cumulative effect of the Cash for Clunkers program on CO2 emissions is about the same as Americans reducing their average driving by one hour per YEAR.
I actually got a reel mower a few years ago, thinking I'd be green and old-fashioned and quaint. The problem is, I've got two mature maple trees in my front yard that are forever dropping sticks and twigs. And even the smallest of twigs can bring your reel mower to an abrupt and annoying stop, making it pretty much worthless unless you're willing to crawl around your yard on your hands and knees to find and pick up all sticks and twigs before mowing each time.
Completely agree! Everyone thinks that older cars are money drains because of repairs, but compare the cost of keeping an old car, complete with all the repair costs, with the cost of buying a new vehicle, and the old car will win every time.
Compare the cost of a $400/mo payment ($4800) on a new car with the $2000-3000/yr in repair costs on an old car, then factor in all the other items listed in the post. If you can mentally assimilate the idea that $2-3000/yr will be the primary cost of keeping your old car, you can keep driving it for years.
A lot of the problem is a psychological one, people don't think a car is worth keeping once it hits 10 years or 100,000 miles. In truth with proper maintenance and regular repairs, they can easily last twice that long. Ask any mechanic! (But find a good one so he can keep your clunker running.)
no one seemed to mind when they did it to a bunch of electric vehicles. many of the cars through this new program need to be off the roads (Unlike the electric ones)
You can help your grass retain - and therefore be more efficient in its use of - water by cutting the grass tall. I have my mower set to max height and it really does help it hold in moisture better and makes it much more naturally resistant to weeds, thereby reducing the need for harsh chemicals.
I agree that for most people its probably more economical to keep driving a used car rather than rush in and buy a new one.
But I don't see the problem with scrapping old cars. Americans scrap millions of cars a year. This program is simply scraping some low mpg cars faster than they would be otherwise.
I think the argument behind item #5 is pretty weak. That link is to an op-ed opinion editorial. They are citing raw figures that show that Americans drive more today than decades ago. Theres no evidence of any cause-effect between higher MPG ratings and driving more. American households drive more mainly because more people work and we have more cars. Look at it this way, if your current car gets 20 mpg and drive 15k miles a year and you go buy a hybrid prius that gets 50mpg will you then drive 37,500 miles a year and spend an extra 1-2 hours a day on the road simply cause you can do so for the same gas cost? Obviously not.
Thanks for the comments. The National Wildlife Federation website really is a terrific resource for the type of lawn-alternative landscaping approach I'm proposing. I'm not just saying, "let your grass grow and forget about the neighbors."
Agreed re: communities that have restrictions on tall grass ... that's why I'd never live in such a community or, if I did, lobby to change it.
As for tall grass harboring "fleas, ticks, and other pests," yeah, Mother Nature is a b*tch, isn't she? If only we could sod over - or better yet pave over - all that natural stuff. ;-)
Given the gas-guzzling nature of the cars one may trade in under the program, I'm hard pressed to consider this "scrapping thousands of decent used cars."
We're scrapping thousands of SUVs, which means we're making the roads safer, our skies cleaner, and our nation more secure. There are cars in the mix, too, but really - 18 mpg? That *is* a clunker.
That said, I agree with the author. This should be a purchase made with full deliberation, sweetened by the program - not made because of the program.
There's probably a lot of places to buy them, even though they're not well known, but my favorite place is through Funagain.com. If you are used to playing a lot of board games, you can start with Agricola (it's pretty complicated). But if this is a start for you, you should begin with Puerto Rico.
With that being said, if you're experience is limited to games like Monopoly, Risk, etc., then I highly recommend getting "Settlers of Catan". It's probably the best "resources strategy" game, everyone loves it, the rules are simple but the strategy is very exciting. Of the games listed in the article, I'd start with Puerto Rico, then Agricola, then any others (PowerGrid is not really the same type of game, so save it for last).
My son is participating in Clinical Trial at the Mayo Clinic in MN. The only thing covered by the trial are the meds. All other expenses are out of my son's pocket. We need for the meds to work as without a medical solution, he is facing quadriplegia... or worse. We live in another state (TX) and the cost of the weekly/monthly visits (for the next 2 years, 2 months) to and fro are adding up. Each day trip with transportation to and from the Mayo Clinic is costing approximately $450-$500. Does anyone know where or how to find assistance for the medical travel expenses? I've contacted the airlines - they offer a 5% discount (no help - he gets a better rate making airline reservations via the internet). Just need to be pointed in the right direction. I am willing to do the research. Thanks in advance for any information.
When we go on a tour with the rest of the family, we bring extra foods that we can easily carry and eat while traveling. We only eat and go to restaurants or a near 7"11 store when we don't have enough food for all of us. This is for us one way of being thrift but still enjoys the fun of a retreat.sedona tours
"Ditto" on the point that this program creates waste.
The majority of "clunkers" traded in have many years left in them, and are rendered undriveable, and if there's time/resources, "parted-out". Otherwise, they're flattened @ the scrap yard. Does anyone else have a problem with scrapping thousands of decent used cars??!!!!
I read something on the James Hong blog that went something like this: as we climb out of this recession, China is going to return to a higher rate of growth. That means fuel prices will rise, and it will be driven by China, not the US. This will feel, to us, like gas prices are too high. (To Chinese, it won't feel so bad, because their incomes will be rising faster than ours, due to growth.)
So, destroying some SUVs may turn out to be a good decision, because it'll free up money for something besides fuel. Foreign growth will hurt less.
The whole issue of carbon emissions is just a way to tap into some "end of the world" sentiment. While I share the sentiment, driving a more efficient car isn't going to fix anything. We need to explore more radical ideas like commuting by bus or train, bicycle, or working only 4 days a week.
I see most of the benefits of this subsidy being the immediate jolt to the economy, to slow the growing unemployment. Secondarily, it might help our economy in the future, because it reduces our fuel expenses.
Many people hear about incentives such as these and justify adding new debt (even people that are paying off debt. I actually had to recently talk someone out of getting involved with this.
For those new to Eurogames, a lot of these games can be had on Amazon, but I also always check http://www.boardgameprices.com
My favorite on your list is "Power Grid" -- I like the supply/demand mechanism. I also hear "Container" is a very good (some say best) economic game, but I've yet to play it.
How does scrapping an SUV make our "nation more secure?"
I'm not junking my 1990 Honda Wagon with 20-25mpg, over 50kmiles left on the engine that I only use for needed trips and mix with public buses. ALL PAID FOR and cost me $500 bucks to boot and then invested another thou to replace upgrade the starter/alternator electrics, muffler and some brakes. My insurance is less than $200 for 6mos and registration/plates $25. Spend less than $40 mos on gas.
Until the first fully electric car comes out $15-20k and can go over 300mi per charge, getting a hybrid now I'm not saving the environment nor helping with the carbon foot print issue but just putting myself into debt and beholden to a bank for a loan and helping the car companies. At that I'd rather get a used electric car in another 5-6yrs to be even more frugal/cheap.
Not following how this is making our nation more secure. Anyway, they are still making SUV's, so for every one traded in with this program if those people turned around and bought one with say a rating of 21 instead of 18, not much will change on our roads. People who have the SUV type vehicles do not tend to downsize. We have a Saturn that gets 34 mpg, but we also have a truck that my husband needs for work, and to haul our boat, we have a GMC truck that gets 21 mpg.
Gasworks does have an awesome view and is popular to bring your sig. other to for blanket fun on the hill (although for some reason the cops have been cruizing the park lately kicking out everyone by 11pm thank you Mayor Nickles)
Golden Gardens located in Ballard, a little ways past the locks, it's great for bonfires at night for spotting hotties by day.
On Capital Hill next to Volunteer park you'll find the cemetary. Here you can takes pics of Bruce and Brandon Lee's graves as well as a few other celebrities (I don't know off hand which others as these 2 were the only ones I was interested in)
If you like Biking there is the Burke-Gilman Trail which runs from Redmond to Ballard or go off-road in Discovery Park, located in Magnolia.
I agree with all these suggestions. Why get a 3500 rebate if you can save 10,000 by driving a newer used car rather than a brand new one? Doesn't make any sense to me.
I have checked with the Gulf Stations which honor the Shaws Gas Reward Program, but I never get the reward at the pump even when I swipe my Shaw's card as directed.
Today I was gypped again. Bought over $100 worth of groceries on July 24th, two weeks ago today. Checked on line to see my credit. It said I was eligible for 20¢ gallon credit as of today (August 7th), but also said my credit expired August 7th. If so, then the credit is good for only 13 days, not two weeks. I think the program may be deceptive, if not a fraud.
"Sell your Twitter account, lose weight and save money, learn to network (really, it helps), clear up your life in 5 minutes, couchsurf around the world, and more."
After reading this post I lost 25 pounds, became financially independent, and bought six houses with no money down! =)
I am surrounded by people who, I am convinced, are being ripped off by their lawn companies; they are in here at least three days a week with a tractor mower (for a lawn so small it can barely turn around), leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, etc. They arrive at 7:30 in the morning, waking up those of us who are trying to have a vacation, and they go all day.
Today I mowed my lawn in less than 20 minutes, without breaking a sweat or annoying my neighbors, with my reel mower. It really is the way to go, especially for small lawns.
Kyle5434, I suggest you rake your lawn before mowing. That will get all the sticks up.
In terms of making our skies cleaner, not so much.
An AP story yesterday estimated that the cumulative effect of the Cash for Clunkers program on CO2 emissions is about the same as Americans reducing their average driving by one hour per YEAR.
I actually got a reel mower a few years ago, thinking I'd be green and old-fashioned and quaint. The problem is, I've got two mature maple trees in my front yard that are forever dropping sticks and twigs. And even the smallest of twigs can bring your reel mower to an abrupt and annoying stop, making it pretty much worthless unless you're willing to crawl around your yard on your hands and knees to find and pick up all sticks and twigs before mowing each time.
Completely agree! Everyone thinks that older cars are money drains because of repairs, but compare the cost of keeping an old car, complete with all the repair costs, with the cost of buying a new vehicle, and the old car will win every time.
Compare the cost of a $400/mo payment ($4800) on a new car with the $2000-3000/yr in repair costs on an old car, then factor in all the other items listed in the post. If you can mentally assimilate the idea that $2-3000/yr will be the primary cost of keeping your old car, you can keep driving it for years.
A lot of the problem is a psychological one, people don't think a car is worth keeping once it hits 10 years or 100,000 miles. In truth with proper maintenance and regular repairs, they can easily last twice that long. Ask any mechanic! (But find a good one so he can keep your clunker running.)
no one seemed to mind when they did it to a bunch of electric vehicles. many of the cars through this new program need to be off the roads (Unlike the electric ones)
You can help your grass retain - and therefore be more efficient in its use of - water by cutting the grass tall. I have my mower set to max height and it really does help it hold in moisture better and makes it much more naturally resistant to weeds, thereby reducing the need for harsh chemicals.
wear an apron! Especially if you cook a lot of Indian food : ) Turmeric stains never come out.
Wow, thanks for the great ideas!
I agree that for most people its probably more economical to keep driving a used car rather than rush in and buy a new one.
But I don't see the problem with scrapping old cars. Americans scrap millions of cars a year. This program is simply scraping some low mpg cars faster than they would be otherwise.
I think the argument behind item #5 is pretty weak. That link is to an op-ed opinion editorial. They are citing raw figures that show that Americans drive more today than decades ago. Theres no evidence of any cause-effect between higher MPG ratings and driving more. American households drive more mainly because more people work and we have more cars. Look at it this way, if your current car gets 20 mpg and drive 15k miles a year and you go buy a hybrid prius that gets 50mpg will you then drive 37,500 miles a year and spend an extra 1-2 hours a day on the road simply cause you can do so for the same gas cost? Obviously not.
Thanks for the comments. The National Wildlife Federation website really is a terrific resource for the type of lawn-alternative landscaping approach I'm proposing. I'm not just saying, "let your grass grow and forget about the neighbors."
Agreed re: communities that have restrictions on tall grass ... that's why I'd never live in such a community or, if I did, lobby to change it.
As for tall grass harboring "fleas, ticks, and other pests," yeah, Mother Nature is a b*tch, isn't she? If only we could sod over - or better yet pave over - all that natural stuff. ;-)
Stay Cheap!
-Jeff Yeager
Given the gas-guzzling nature of the cars one may trade in under the program, I'm hard pressed to consider this "scrapping thousands of decent used cars."
We're scrapping thousands of SUVs, which means we're making the roads safer, our skies cleaner, and our nation more secure. There are cars in the mix, too, but really - 18 mpg? That *is* a clunker.
That said, I agree with the author. This should be a purchase made with full deliberation, sweetened by the program - not made because of the program.
There's probably a lot of places to buy them, even though they're not well known, but my favorite place is through Funagain.com. If you are used to playing a lot of board games, you can start with Agricola (it's pretty complicated). But if this is a start for you, you should begin with Puerto Rico.
With that being said, if you're experience is limited to games like Monopoly, Risk, etc., then I highly recommend getting "Settlers of Catan". It's probably the best "resources strategy" game, everyone loves it, the rules are simple but the strategy is very exciting. Of the games listed in the article, I'd start with Puerto Rico, then Agricola, then any others (PowerGrid is not really the same type of game, so save it for last).
My son is participating in Clinical Trial at the Mayo Clinic in MN. The only thing covered by the trial are the meds. All other expenses are out of my son's pocket. We need for the meds to work as without a medical solution, he is facing quadriplegia... or worse. We live in another state (TX) and the cost of the weekly/monthly visits (for the next 2 years, 2 months) to and fro are adding up. Each day trip with transportation to and from the Mayo Clinic is costing approximately $450-$500. Does anyone know where or how to find assistance for the medical travel expenses? I've contacted the airlines - they offer a 5% discount (no help - he gets a better rate making airline reservations via the internet). Just need to be pointed in the right direction. I am willing to do the research. Thanks in advance for any information.
When we go on a tour with the rest of the family, we bring extra foods that we can easily carry and eat while traveling. We only eat and go to restaurants or a near 7"11 store when we don't have enough food for all of us. This is for us one way of being thrift but still enjoys the fun of a retreat.sedona tours
"Ditto" on the point that this program creates waste.
The majority of "clunkers" traded in have many years left in them, and are rendered undriveable, and if there's time/resources, "parted-out". Otherwise, they're flattened @ the scrap yard. Does anyone else have a problem with scrapping thousands of decent used cars??!!!!